Death penatly still a possibility for accused pharmacy shooter

The man charged with killing two men and injuring two others during a pharmacy robbery spent the morning in court fighting the possibility of being sentenced to the death penalty.

Investigators said Jason Brian Holt went o the Down Home Pharmacy in Bean Station in May to steal prescription drugs. While there, he shot and killed the pharmacist and owner, Stephen Lovell, and a 72-year-old customer, Richard Sommerville. Pharmacy technician Alexia Gail Wilson and Janet Colleen Clift were also shot but survived.

Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty at trial for Holt. On Monday, his attorneys entered a number of motions that they hoped would eliminate the possibility of the death penalty, but the judge denied those motions.

They also asked the judge to suppress some conversations that took place in jail from evidence, but that was also denied.

Holt will next appear in court for a motions hearing on July 8. His trial is set for September 30.-

The judge denied motions by Jason Brian Holt to rule out the death penalty in this case. Holt was also asking the court to suppress jail conversations from evidence, also denied.